The Taittiriya Upanishad (2.1-5) maps human existence as 5 nested sheaths - like a Russian doll. Each "I am" identification (I am body, I am breath, I am mind, I am wise, I am bliss) is a kosha. Beyond all 5 is the Atman - pure Self. This map is the foundation of Advaita's atma-vichara, yoga's pranic + meditation work, and every traditional Hindu meditation technique.
Constituents - The physical body. Made of food (anna) - grows by food, sustained by food, dies and returns to food.
Recognise it - When you say "I am tall" or "I am hungry" or "I am male/female" - you are identifying with annamaya kosha.
Practice - Asana (yoga postures). Hatha yoga. Proper ahaara (nutrition). Ayurveda dosha-balancing. Cleansing (shatkarmas) - neti, kunjala, dhauti.
Disorder - Physical illness, disease, deformity. Treated by allopathic medicine + Ayurveda + asana.
अन्नाद्वै प्रजाः प्रजायन्ते। याः काश्च पृथिवीं श्रिताः।
अथो अन्नेनैव जीवन्ति। अथैनदपि यन्त्यन्ततः॥ (Taittiriya 2.2.1) - "From food are born all beings - whoever lives on this earth. By food alone they live. And to food at the end they return."
Constituents - The 5 pranas (prana, apana, samana, udana, vyana) + the 5 upa-pranas (naga, kurma, krikara, devadatta, dhanjnaya). The 72,000 nadis + the 7 chakras live here.
Recognise it - The energy / aliveness you feel when fully alive vs the dullness when depleted. The breath is the most accessible aspect.
Practice - Pranayama. Chakra meditation. Kundalini practices. Mantra japa (charges the prana). Mudras.
Disorder - Pranic depletion → chronic fatigue, immune issues. Pranic blockage → psychosomatic disease.
प्राणं देवा अनु प्राणन्ति। मनुष्याः पशवश्च ये।
प्राणो हि भूतानामायुः। तस्मात्सर्वायुषमुच्यते॥ (Taittiriya 2.3.1) - "The gods breathe after prana - and so do humans and animals. Prana is the life of all beings. Therefore it is called the universal life-span."
Constituents - The mind (manas) + its content - thoughts, emotions, memories, desires. Includes the 5 jnana-indriyas (sense-organs) + 5 karma-indriyas (action-organs). The active processing mind.
Recognise it - The constant mental chatter. Emotional reactions. Likes + dislikes. The "I want / I don't want" voice.
Practice - Pratyahara (sense-withdrawal). Manana (contemplation). Svadhyaya (self-study). Bhakti (devotional emotion-channeling). Mantra-japa moves the manas to a single thought-stream.
Disorder - Anxiety, depression, OCD, anger-disorders, addictions. Mental imbalance.
मनोमयः आत्मा। तस्योपोदकं श्रद्धा। तस्य शिरः। ऋतमेव दक्षिणः पक्षः।
सत्यमुत्तरः पक्षः। योग आत्मा। महः पुच्छं प्रतिष्ठा॥ (Taittiriya 2.4.1) - "The self made of mind. Its head is faith. Its right side is righteousness. Its left side is truth. Its body is yoga. Its tail-foundation is the great."
Constituents - Buddhi (intellect / discernment), Chitta (memory-store), Ahamkara (ego-I-sense). The deciding + discriminating faculty. Beyond raw mind.
Recognise it - When you can WITNESS your thoughts without being swept by them. When you discern between dharma + adharma in a moral test.
Practice - Jnana yoga - atma-vichara ("Who am I?"). Vichara, vairagya, viveka. Study of Upanishads. Listening to a realised guru.
Disorder - Mis-discrimination, mistaken identity (I am body / I am mind), perversions of values (calling adharma dharma).
विज्ञानं यज्ञं तनुते। कर्माणि तनुतेऽपि च।
विज्ञानं देवाः सर्वे ब्रह्म ज्येष्ठमुपासते॥ (Taittiriya 2.5.1) - "Wisdom performs the yajna; wisdom performs the actions; all the devas worship wisdom as the supreme Brahman."
Constituents - The seed-state. In deep sleep + samadhi, only this kosha persists. The "I" that experiences ananda (joy) without an object. Closest to the Atman.
Recognise it - The bliss you experience in deep dreamless sleep (which you only KNOW about after waking - "I slept well"). The joy in samadhi. The pure happiness of being itself, before any object causes it.
Practice - Samadhi (the 8th limb of yoga). Nirvikalpa samadhi (the highest). Resting in the "I am" without object.
Disorder - Existential boredom even in pleasure. Inability to relax. Loss of capacity for natural bliss.
आनन्दो ब्रह्मेति व्यजानात्। आनन्दाद्धि एव खल्विमानि भूतानि जायन्ते।
आनन्देन जातानि जीवन्ति। आनन्दं प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्ति॥ (Taittiriya 3.6.1) - "He realised: Bliss is Brahman. For from bliss are born all these beings. Born, they live by bliss. Departing, they enter into bliss."
The 5 koshas group into 3 bodies (sharira), and the 3 bodies operate in 3 states of consciousness (avastha) - waking, dreaming, deep sleep.
Sthula sharira · स्थूल शरीर (Gross body)
Contains: Annamaya kosha
Avastha - Jagrat (waking state) - sthula sharira is fully active.
The physical body - visible to others, dies at end of life.
Sukshma sharira · सूक्ष्म शरीर (Subtle body)
Contains: Pranamaya + Manomaya + Vijnanamaya koshas
Avastha - Svapna (dream state) - sukshma sharira is fully active; sthula sharira is "asleep".
The subtle body carries the soul from one birth to the next. Dies at moksha alone - not at physical death.
Karana sharira · कारण शरीर (Causal body)
Contains: Anandamaya kosha + the seed-impressions of all karma (samskaras + vasanas)
Avastha - Sushupti (deep sleep) - karana sharira persists; sthula + sukshma are dormant.
The seed of all future lives. The store-house of samskaras. Dies only at videhamukti.
Turiya - the 4th state (literally "the fourth"). Pure consciousness behind / beyond the 3 avasthas.
Not a state in the same sense - it underlies all 3 states. It is what witnesses waking, dreaming, deep sleep. The Mandukya Upanishad describes it as "shantam, shivam, advaitam" - peaceful, auspicious, non-dual.
Realisation - Recognised in samadhi. Made permanent in sahaja samadhi. The jivanmukta lives in turiya 24/7 - while the body experiences waking/dreaming/sleeping in succession.
Practical use - The koshas-map is a meditative tool. Sitting quietly, peel back identification one kosha at a time: "I am not just this body (annamaya)... I am not just this breath (pranamaya)... I am not just this mind (manomaya)..." until pure awareness alone remains. See also
The 7 chakras (within pranamaya kosha),
Karma & Moksha (the journey through the koshas to moksha),
Yoga & Pranayama (techniques for refining each kosha).
